It’s often said that young people are the future of the pro-life movement. Priests for Life is endeavoring to harness that idea with its newly founded pro-life essay contest. The contest came about because the pro-life outreach had been looking to create events for young people to take part in.
Tweet This: This essay contest indicates that these young people are not just the future leaders of the pro-life movement; they are leaders today.
Winners of the contest were honored at the 30th annual National Prayer Service on the morning of the 2025 March for Life.
Priests for Life also paid homage to the March for Life by establishing the essay contest, as there had previously been an essay contest associated with the March that had been discontinued.
The contest was announced in October and contestants had two months to enter.
Stand True President and Priests for Life Director of Youth Outreach Bryan Kemper, Rachel’s Vineyard co-founder Kevin Burke, and Priests for Life Communications Director Leslie Palma judged the entries. There were three categories, junior high, high school, college, and winners were announced earlier this month.
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With the pivotal 2024 election, voting and civic engagement played into what contestants were asked to tackle for topics in their entries.
“The theme this year was about the importance of voting pro-life and encouraging others to vote pro-life,” Kemper said. “I really wanted the students to put some thought into why this election was so important for the people-life movement.”
There were more than 100 submissions in the contest’s inaugural year.
The topic for junior high and high school students was “Be My Vote for the Unborn,” which asked the young people to explore the ways individuals, even if they are too young to vote or are new voters, can impact an election. The prize for the junior high winner was $300 and the high school winner received $500.
The topic for college students, “The Duty to Vote Pro-life,” asked writers to express persuasive reasons why pro-life people should vote and how the issue of abortion affects their vote. The prize for the college level was $1,000.
Six-grade student Mary Grover from Owings, Md., won the junior high category with her essay, “Voteless, Not Voiceless.”
Charlotte Swannack, a homeschooled high school junior from Cary, N.C., was the high school winner with “Stand for the Unborn.”
Grace Walker-Ros, a junior at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, was the winner of the college category with her essay titled, “A Civic Duty to Defend Life.”
“The young people in the pro-life movement are as enthusiastic about pro-life and as committed to ending abortion as all the generations that preceded them,” Kemper said. “I was very impressed with our winners.”
Priests for Life Executive Director Janet Morana, a former schoolteacher, was impressed by the caliber of the essays.
“These students, even the youngest ones, displayed a real level of maturity in understanding the issues surrounding abortion and in explaining the reasons they are pro-life,” Morana said. “It was eye-opening for me.”
Priests for Life National Director Frank Pavone said the young people were already pro-life leaders.
“This essay contest is another indication that these young people are not just the future leaders of the pro-life movement; they are leaders today,” he said. “They each have influence.”
“Many of the essays noted both the importance of prayer in the battle to end abortion, and the vital role played by public pro-life demonstrations like the March for Life and Walk for Life,” Palma said. “More than one writer noted they have been marching for life since they could walk. Some essays were so heavily researched they included footnotes!”
Having written professionally for decades, Palma said she was humbled by the “talent, passion and altruism” of each of the entrants.
“The future of the pro-life movement is in their hands,” Palma said. “They are more than up to the task.”
In addition to being honored at the Jan. 24 National Prayer Service, the essay contest winners will be interviewed on Priests for Life’s EndAbortion.TV. The essays will be published in the February Priests for Life newsletter and they can be read at StandTrue.com.
